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Episode 1489: Let's Create an Award
Date January 20, 2020 Summary Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the symbolism of the baseball in Knives Out (beware of slight spoilers from 4:17 to 10:32), follow up on a few reader suggestions about outside hires who could clean up the Astros, and discuss the latest developments in the sign-stealing scandal, then try to invent a new end-of-season baseball award that could catch on in an era of advanced stats and award saturation, plus a postscript on a baseball reference in an episode of Sex and the City. Topics * How awards grow and receive recognition * Fielding Bible vs. Gold Glove awards * Inventing and growing an award * Award continuity and back filling winners * The need for subjectivity in award voting * Changing value of the press in award voting * Hall of Fame voting * Sam and Ben's ideas for new awards * Qualities of a good award * Baseball on Sex and the City Intro Radiohead, "Knives Out" Outro Fabolous (Feat. Pusha T), "Life is so Exciting" Banter * Sam recently saw Knives Out and wants to talk with Ben about its qualifications as a 'baseball movie'. Ben reminds him that they actually discussed it briefly in Episode 1464. * Sam offers some brief spoilers from Knives Out and discusses the symbolism of a baseball in the movie and baseball as a link in parent-child relationships. Sam says it is a baseball movie. * Episode 1488 follow-up: Ben offers some additional updates to Sam on the fallout from the Astros' sign stealing scandal. * Jack McDowell's comments about Tony LaRussa and the 1980s White Sox sign-stealing schemes * Ben and Sam wonder how many years the Astros scandal would have needed to remain hidden in order for players to not have to apologize. * Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman's comments at Astros' fan fest * Episode 1488 follow-up: Listener suggestions for Astros' managerial candidates included Joe Mauer, Dale Murphy, Dusty Baker, Ken Griffey Jr., and Nolan Ryan. Notes * Sam suggests that they create an award for the 'Effectively Wild Hall of All-Time Champions'. * Sam leads a discussion on how awards gain recognition and prestige. He offers examples of how he knows extensive details on Gold Glove winners but not Silver Sluggers. * Ben and Sam agree that the more ambiguity there is with an award the more it justifies its existence. An award based purely on statistics is boring. But one where there is room for debate creates interest in who will get the award. * Some potential awards suggested by Ben and Sam are: best baserunner, best young player (not just rookies), most exciting player, best intangibles player, and a baseball lifetime achievement award. * Sam references the concept of a Baseball Mount Rushmore, an idea discussed in Episode 909. * Ben was impressed that an episode of Sex and the City from 1999 referenced OBP when one of the characters was quoting a Yankee player's stats (copied from Shane Spencer's batting line that year). Links * Effectively Wild Episode 1489: Let's Create an Award * What did the baseball represent in the movie Knives Out? by Dan Gardner * Fernando Tatis Jr. and MLB's Most Exciting Player every year since he was born by Sam Miller * Wins Above Replacement and the MLB MVP Vote: A Natural Experiment by Shane Sanders, Joel Potter, Justin Ehrlich, and Justin Perline * As snubs show, WAR won't carry you to Cooperstown by Sam Miller * The Gold Gloves Are Finally Going To The Best Fielders by Neil Paine and Carl Bialik * Baseball clip from Sex and the City Category:Episodes